There and Back Again
by Jade Opal
Summary: One version of how Legolas and Naírë first met. Warning: MSish


As I entered my morning bus one warm June morning, I got out my copy of my favorite book and my cd player. As I sat near the window, like I always did every morning, I pop my headphones on my ears and listen to my music while I was reading a good book. That morning, I wanted to reread my favorite book, 'The Fellowship of the Ring'.

Here, I wandered from Hobbition and BagEnd to the forested realm of Rivendell to Lothlórien to Amon Hen. My favorite hobbit was Frodo Baggins, my favorite mortal warrior was Aragorn, and my favorite elf was Legolas Greenleaf of Mirkwood, who happened to be my favorite character. I liked elves and the way they used their bow and arrows and talk to Mother Nature.

My friends, Rachel and Meghan, are fans of elves too, but not as bad as my level of obsession. Once, Rachel was trying to get me to kick the habit, but that failed when I mentioned that I was dressed as an elf for Halloween. My other friends, Liz and Laura, were just like me when they were fans of elves and hobbits. They stayed with the hobbits and help me from time to time on finding elfish pictures.

As the bus stopped at my school, I continued to read the book and walked out into the warm morning air and into the tall building. I wished that I could live the same adventure that Legolas and the rest of the Fellowship were having right now…

Legolas and the others walked up to the wall. Gandalf placed his hand on the wall and said: "Mellon," The door opens and the fellowship enters the mines of Moria…

Three days into the mines, the Fellowship stop in front of three tunnels; one heads to the left, one facing the center, one moving to the right.

"I don't remember this," Gandalf said as he sat in front of the tunnels and went into la-la land.

"Well, the old geezer won't be helping us for now," Boromir said as he sat on the ground and started a fire to warm the others up.

"Legolas, are you feeling alright?" Aragorn said in Sindarin to the elf.

"Yes, Aragorn, I just… (Sighs) I just want someone to love me…you know, like the way Arwen loves you."

"Look, she only likes me because I am not of her kind. Her father told me that I should reconsider about the decision of marrying her," Aragorn replied. "Well, I guess I could ask her when we get back if there's a maiden that she could let you court."

"Ah…it's that way," Gandalf said as the fellowship got up from their spots and went through the center tunnel.

I was getting out of school and was heading for the train station. I had to go to work and there was no time to waste, for me, I always go to work late because of the distance between the school and the train station.

_There's no way that I'm going to get that promotion that I've been wanting all this time._ I thought as I got on the train.

As the train pulled away, I sat in one of the benches on the Hempstead-Garden City train. I looked out of the window from where I was sitting and saw the trees and the sky all young and merry.

_Maybe, my life is just a dark and gloomy one._ I thought more as the train stopped at my destination.

As I got off the train, I hoped that I would not get fired at this job as a waitress.

"RUN!" Gandalf said as the fellowship ran from the Balrog in Hall Number 21.

As they drew near to the passage leading to the gates, darkness crept towards them. When they got into the passage, it was so dark that the fellowship could not see in front of them.

Gandalf, Gimli and Boromir were the first to leave the passage. They called out to the others, but did not hear a reply.

"Where are they?" Gimli asked the wizard.

"I do not know…I really don't know," Gandalf said as the three of them left the mines of Moria behind, along with their companions.

I was very upset as I entered the train that evening; I was laid off at my job, waiting tables. I was on the 5 pm Garden City-Merrick train; this had the compartments in them. As I was sitting in my usual spot in my compartment, I opened the book that I was reading before, but something happened to it: the chapters after the part when Frodo and the others were heading to the bridge was blank, like they never existed.

I was worried and anxious to know what happened, but my book was no longer telling me the rest of the story. I placed my book back in my book bag. Just when I had placed the book in the book bag, a bone-chilling shriek filled the silent air. I ran to the door and as I opened it, something or someone was pushing me back in the compartment.

When I caught my breath, I wished that I didn't catch my breath at all. There, in my compartment with me, were two small boys and a tall man. Both boys were scared and were holding each other for comfort. The tall man turned and saw me in the compartment besides the three of them.

"Hello. Are you alright, miss?" the tall man asked me.

I couldn't reply, because the next thing I knew, I ended up falling to the floor.

The tall man caught me before I hit the ground. He placed me on the seat, trying to wake me up.

When I woke up, I saw that the tall man has blue eyes and that his shoulder-length hair was blond.

"You feeling any better?" the tall stranger asked me.

"Yes; I'm feeling better. You're Legolas Greenleaf, aren't you?" I asked, being light-headed from the shock.

"Yes, I am. And this is…" Legolas said as the two boys turned around and faced the elf and me.

"…You two are Samwise Gamgee and Frodo Baggins. Whoa, I definitely need to sit and calm down. This is not my day," I said as I held my head in my hands and began to shake my head a bit. "This is not happening to me. If this was happening right now, I would be even more shocked to see Aragorn and the other two hobbits."

Just then, (just my luck) Aragorn, Merry and Pippin entered the compartment.

"Ok; now I'm convinced. This is definitely not my day. What am I going to do?"

"Anything wrong, Legolas?" the ranger asked the elf.

"No. I don't understand…who are you and where are we?"

"Oh, I must have forgotten…my name is Jessie…Jessica Raven. You're in the year 2005. You six are in my world. How the hell did you six get here, I don't know," I replied to Legolas. "For all I know, you guys definitely need a disguise…I know. The next stop is Merrick. I know exactly who would believe me in this situation," I said.

"Who's 'Merrick'?" the six guys asked me.

"Merrick's a town, you know, a 'village'."

"Oh. Where in Merrick is this friend of yours?"

"Not far from the train station…well, to tell you the truth, this is a train…a moving wagon," I said.

_I just hope that Kristy's in the mood for this._ I thought as the train moved slower and slower until finally stopping in Merrick Train station.

"Okay, what ever you do…don't draw attention…that's the last thing I need to worry about," I warned the six members of the Fellowship as we all got off the train.

When the others and I got out of the train station, we walked one block down from the station and reached Kristy's store, 'Kristy's Salon of Beauty'. The six companions and I walked in and the store was close to being empty. A short, blond haired girl came up to the six men and me.

"Hey, Jess, what's up, girl?" the girl asked as she gave me a hug.

"Nothing much. Listen, can you come with me for a moment?" I said as I took Kristy to a room not far from the front of the store and gestured the companions to follow me.

As I closed the door behind me, Kristy was looking pretty scared.

"Now, I know you don't like to hear this, but I have to say it: you read the Lord of the Rings books, right…the trilogy ones?"

"Yeah; so, what's the problem?" Kristy asked, looking annoyed at the fact that she was being asked stupid questions.

"Well…will this convince you on believing me?" I said as I pulled back Legolas' hair and exposed his ears.

Kristy looked stunned.

"Or, what about these?" I asked as I pulled back Frodo's cloak to expose his feet.

Kristy was wordless.

"Or what about…?"

"Alright, I get the point. What am I to do with six men from a book?"

"Well, if you and your co-workers can do a 'makeover', I could get them some clothes to wear."

"Wait, just a sec; this is not coming out of your account, is it?"

"Just put it in my account, will ya?" I said as I left the store.

When I got back to the shop a half hour later, everyone was done and the six companions got their haircut and were tidied up.

"You guys just follow me," I said as the four halflings and the two men walked towards the back of the store.

"What's in the bag, miss?" Sam asked, innocently.

"Your new disguises," I said as I took the clothes and the shoes out of the bag and handed them out to the six companions. "I had to figure out what sizes you were, so if there's too tight, I'll go and get a different size for you," I said as I walked back to the front of the store. "I'll just leave you guys to change."

When Sam and Frodo were done, they walked up to me; following them were Merry and Pippin; Aragorn came next, while Legolas finished last.

"You guys ready to go?" I asked.

"What about our ears?" the four hobbits asked.

"I almost forgot. Ummm…follow me again," I said as I led the six to a different room.

There, the halflings sat on the couch. Legolas and Aragorn sat on the chairs in the room.

I was scared for a moment on what to do.

"Let's see…how should I do this…I know. Merry, Pippin, Sam, Legolas, Frodo…I need you to relax; this process is gonna hurt you for a bit," I said as I chanted some words, a small light was coming out of my fingertips…

The six travelers and I left the store and we were walking another block down and we came up to an apartment building. I took out my keys and opened the door. As the six travelers walked in with me, I hoped that I would not be stopped by…

"Ms. Raven, I do hope that those boys are your relatives and not what I think they are," The girl behind the desk said to me.

"Why is it every time that I bring over more than one guy here makes you suspicious that I might be sleeping with them, Ms. Albano?" I asked as I went to the desk, leaving the six companions where I had stood when the girl asked me the question. "Besides, Vicky, they are my relatives; the four short boys are my cousins, Pete, Matt, Sean and Frank, while the two tall ones are my brothers, Adam and Donnie."

"Wanna bet that none of them are really your relatives? You do know that I have full access to your files," Vicky said as she stood up from her chair.

"Wanna bet that your boyfriend, Carlos, was cheating on you last night with Cassie Jones? I listen pretty well to a lot of public school talks, so you better make sure that none of the talks has to deal with your boyfriend," I said as I left Vicky, who had her jaw drop.

I got back to the six companions and we went to the elevator.

I entered my home with the six behind me. The hobbits were amazed that my place was huge.

"Knock yourselves out," I said as Frodo and Sam were hitting each other with the pillows on the sofa. "If you guys need anything, just let me know, ok?"

"We are kind of hungry," Both Merry and Pippin said.

"That can be arranged. The food is in here and here," I said as I showed where the food was stored. "I guess you guys know how to cook then…and I'll have to show you…"

"No need to," Aragorn said, knowing what I might say next.

"Ok. Well, I guess I'll 'freshen' up then," I said as I gathered my things to head for a shower.

After a half hour, I came out with a wet head and I shook it out. Water hit the four hobbits as they were coming out of the kitchen.

"Oh, my mistake…I didn't mean to…"

"Don't worry about it," Sam said as he placed the bread on the table. "Do you have any beer or ale?"

"I have ginger ale, if that's the kind that you guys drink," I said as a bottle of ginger ale came out of nowhere and appeared on the table. "Ummm…where's Legolas now?"

"Legolas' out on the deck…you have a great view of the town," Aragorn said as I went out to the living room and went through the sliding doors in the room.

Legolas was watching the setting sun. He was leaning on the rail. I walked next to him and leaned on the rail as well.

"Dinner's ready."

"I know. That's why you're out here," Legolas said, not looking at me.

"Yeah…isn't it beautiful? I mean the setting of the sun? I never got the chance to see the sun set on a warm and beautiful day before…I mostly worked nights at this diner I used to work in, but…they fired me, even though I was the best there at the diner, but they didn't want me anymore," I said as I looked at the reddish purple evening sky.

"It must have been very hard on you, from what you're telling me," Legolas said as he turned to face my side.

Legolas noted the glow on my golden-brown hair, which was medium-sized and was in layers. He also noted my light brown eyes. They reminded him of topazes and chocolates. My appearance and my figure made me eye-catching.

I turned towards Legolas, but we were not prepared of what happened next. My lips touched his, since we were close together. Legolas placed his hands on my lower back and his fingers interlaced with each other. My fingers ran through the elf's short, silky blond hair. It reminded me of another character that looked like Legolas: Draco Malfoy, the boy who hated Harry Potter in the 'Harry Potter' series.

As we parted, I see Legolas' cheeks flush a bright red. I felt embarrassed at the sight of him go red in the face.

"I'm sorry…the others would be thinking that we got hurt. We better get back inside," I said as I walked from a shy Legolas and went back inside the suite.

After dinner, I showed the hobbits the spare bedroom, Aragorn decided to sleep in the living room on the sofa, while Legolas stayed on sleeping in my room, but on the couch that was in there.

As night grew darker, I went out onto my private veranda and looked at the stars. I drew my knees together and held them with my arms. I was dressed in a grey pj's pants and a white tank top. I sighed, as I looked for my star…the South Star. I found it in the sky and made a wish. When I looked down from the sky, I noticed that Legolas was staring at me from the frame of the bedroom door.

"Legolas…I didn't know that you were up," I said as I stood up.

"No, please…stay where you are. I didn't realize that you would be out here," The elven prince said as he placed himself next to me. "What were you wishing on?"

"The south star…it would bring good luck to you if you wish on it," I said as I sat back down. "That's what I was told when I was a little girl."

"It's nice out tonight," Legolas said. "This might be a time for getting to know people…especially if they're your host."

I let out a small chuckle.

"What is it? What was funny to you?"

"What you just said…that made me laugh. You know, you're one of a kind…one that can make me laugh, one that make me cry, one that can bring joy and sadness to my life," I said, sincerely. "I…I never had someone as good as you. It's like I've been searching for a part of me through life that I live through everyday in this realm…I bet you did the same thing back in your realm…"

_How did she found out, I don't know…?_

"Legolas, are you alright?" I asked; my voice was saintly.

"Yes, I'm fine. You see, I have been searching for the right girl for about…" Legolas started to say.

"…But, you never found 'her', haven't you?"

"No, I have not, sadly. But what I see in you, I feel that…"

"…That you found the girl you've been searching for, right?" I asked as Legolas leaned a bit towards me.

"Yeah…I think I have…" Legolas said as he kissed me for the second time.

This time, the kiss was more prepared than the last. I let my feelings towards the elf guide me as the kiss went more smoothly.

The next morning, I got out of bed and saw that Legolas was not on the couch nor out in the veranda. I put my bathrobe on and went to the living room. I saw that the hobbits and Aragorn were up, but Legolas was not found there either. I went to the living room veranda and saw that Legolas was standing there, looking at the morning sun.

Legolas felt someone behind him, so he turned around and saw the girl of his dreams, the one girl that he was looking for all his life…me.

"Good morning, Legolas. Sleep well?"

"Yes, actually, I slept well."

The two of us were looking at the floor when Sam came out and told the two of us that breakfast was ready. We went in and had some breakfast. As we all ate our meal, we exchanged stories and songs of long ago. I was surprised that the hobbits were very good storytellers, that Aragorn could sing for real, and that Legolas recite a poem to me in Sindarin.

Aragorn thought for a second that he was talking about his girl in their time realm, but then he realized that Legolas, an elven prince of Mirkwood, was talking about the host, me.

_This isn't right; I mean, Jessie is…what, not his type, not his race, and…_

"Is there something troubling you?" I asked to Aragorn.

"No, of course not," The ranger lied to me.

"I was wondering…maybe that we could head to the mall and walk about. I think that some fresh air is good for you guys," I said as I rose and headed for my bedroom.

About 10 minutes later, we left the apartment building and walked to Merrick Hills. Merrick Hills was the biggest mall that the gang saw. Frodo and Sam had a great time, eating the free food samples; Merry and Pippin also had a great time, playing with the animals; Aragorn read a couple of books on swords and daggers. Legolas and I waited while the other four went from store to store. I noticed that Legolas' arm went and held my shoulder. I placed my head on his shoulder and smiled. This was the time of my life ever. It all seemed like a dream.

When we got back to the suite, it was 10 in the evening. The four hobbits went to bed besides Aragorn and me. Legolas decided to stay up for the night.

_Why am I feeling strange in front of Jessie? I mean, she's pretty, kind and…ugh, that's the problem…I like her 'like her', but not 'love her'. I wish I could do…_

"Legolas, are you feeling alright?" a voice asked the elven prince.

Legolas turned around and saw the most likely person…me.

"Nothing, nothing's the problem, Jessie. I was just thinking…"

"…About what?"

"What I should use as a nickname for you."

"Oh. Well, I hope you can find one soon. Tomorrow, we're going on the train again and I want to see where you guys came into my world when you would have been with the rest of the fellowship."

"Ok."

"You're sure you want to stay up and not get any rest?"

"I'm just not tired yet, that's all."

"Well, Good night…my 'savior'; for thy name glows at dark times, and thy will won't be restrain for one place, so the forest, sea, and the earthly town will always be your home from this day forth…"

"Wait a minute…I never even seen the sea."

"Oh…well, I'll explain in the morning then. Goodnight."

Legolas reached out and placed his hand on my hand.

"Please…stay with me for a bit," The elf asked; his voice was compassionate and calm.

"Okay," I said as we sat on the chairs and gazed at the stars above them.

There was silence for a few stray minutes before I got up and left the balcony. Legolas looked down and saw that I went to bed. He walked inside the suite and found that I was well asleep. He went over to the bed and gently kissed my forehead and said a soft goodnight to me. He sat on a chair not far from the bed and sang to himself to sleep.

The six companions and I were up early as we headed for the train station. We climbed onto the Merrick-Hempstead 10 AM train. When we got off, we waited for the 3 PM train to Garden City. From Garden City, we waited for the 5 PM train back to Merrick. When the train finally arrived, the seven travelers climbed into my compartment. Legolas and the others got back to their original clothes and their hairs and ears were back to normal.

"Which way did you guys walk from?" I asked when they were finished.

"This way," Frodo said as he pointed to the left…towards the baggage car.

"Lead the way," I said as the four hobbits, Aragorn and Legolas (whose hair grew back when Jessie made his pointy ears return.) walked towards the baggage car.

We stopped at the door.

"Well, this is it. I don't remember being in the room," Aragorn said.

"I guess this is good bye. I wonder where this would lead us to," Pippin said as he and the other hobbits hugged me and went through the dark room.

Aragorn hugged me, saying goodbye to me as he too passed through the door. Only Legolas remained with me.

"Well, I guess it is goodbye then," I said.

Legolas hugged the girl of his dreams and kissed my lips one more time.

Legolas said something in Sindarin.

"What does that mean?"

"It means, 'I love you…till the end of time' in my native tongue," Legolas said as I hugged him again.

Legolas gave me something from his pocket…a necklace that had a Greenleaf on it.

"Legolas…this is the necklace that Angel gave to you when you were a young elf…this is yours, not mine," I said, not wanting the necklace. "You keep it," I added as I gave him my charm bracelet. "This will make your dreams come true."

"You know what? I thought of your nickname."

"What is it?"

"Naírë."

"Naírë…it's beautiful. I don't want you to be left behind…you better go." I said as I kissed the elf one more time and the boy of my dreams left me forever.

I entered the room and saw that they were on the other realm and back to their mission. I sat on the ground and cried, but I got back up and went back to my compartment. I knew that I would never see him again.

A few months pass and Legolas never returned. By the time I was eighteen, I was mostly sad and kept everything to myself as I entered college. I hoped that one day that I would see Legolas again, but the chance never came to me in the first few months of college.

One warm summer night, two years after meeting the members of the Fellowship and the boy of my dreams, I was sitting in my dorm, writing a research paper for the English finals I had to do. The paper was to pick an unusual event when you were younger. I chose to write about meeting six men that changed my life forever. While I was typing on my computer, my AOL program came on and it said that I got mail.

I opened my account and saw that I did have mail. I read the note, but it was not signed, but instead a quote appeared on the note, saying something in a language that I did not recognized. I tried to think what this quote was, for it sounded familiar to me.

I looked up the screen name, found out that this person was online and opened a chat room for this mysterious person.

AngelGirl87: Hello?

Elf Lover: Hi Naírë.

AngelGirl87: Who r u + my name is not Naírë.

Elf Lover: U don't remember me?

AngelGirl87: WHO R U?

Elf Lover: U sure r really rude 2 me.

AngelGirl87: I've asked u a question + u should answer it before I'll…I'll block u from my buddy list.

Elf Lover: Try + remember this… "Good night…my 'savior'; for thy name glows at dark times, and thy will won't be restrain for one place, so the forest, sea, and the earthly town will always be your home from this day forth…" Does that ring a bell?

AngelGirl87: No, it doesn't…wait, it does…Legolas? Is that really u?

Elf Lover: It's me alright…now you remember, Naírë

AngelGirl87: I told you that my name is not…I remember now. You gave me that nickname. Where r u?

Elf Lover: 2 doors down from urs.

AngelGirl87: Y didn't u tell me that u were back?

Elf Lover: I didn't come back…I had some help 2 get here and I wanted 2 talk 2 u.

AngelGirl87: Ur sure that u aren't here just 2 talk 2 me?

Elf Lover: I wanted 2 ask u something…would u…like to come to my realm…just 4 a few days, that's all I'm asking u.

AngelGirl87: Where do u want me 2 meet u?

Elf Lover: The roof…say about 10 minutes?

AngelGirl87: Alright. C u in a bit.

I logged off my computer, rang my friend to tell her that I wouldn't be able to join her for Summer Vacation. I left my dorm, wearing only a dressing gown and my sneaks, and ran to the roof. There, on the roof standing in the warm and dark night, was Legolas.

He turned around, but he wasn't an elf anymore. He had his long blond hair, but his ears were not pointy and his clothes and shoes were of royal attire.

"Hello, Naírë. It's good to see you again," Legolas said as he hugged the girl that he left behind two years ago.

He took a look at me; my hair was not longer down, but was pulled up into a ponytail and the ends were sticking out and had blond highlights on it, my eyes were of a light hazel color, and I was wearing a perfume that he recognized almost right away…warm vanilla w/ sugar in it.

"I thought I lost you," I remembered saying to him.

"You didn't…I thought you had forgotten about me," Legolas said as he placed a stray strand of my bangs behind my ear. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, I am. I only brought what I think I might need," I said as my fingers interlaced with his.

Hi, my name is Naírë Greenleaf. This is my story.

The End

© 2003 Danielle Choy™


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